Lest we forget...

Posted by Andrew Chapman, 12:31pm 11/11/2007. Leave a comment

Sunday 11th November 2007, Remembrance Sunday

We all lead such busy lives, dashing about, ferrying the kids back and forth, cooking, cleaning, washing, paying the bills - the stuff of everyday life. So it's good on this one day of the year to stop, to pause and remember. To think of those who gave their life so we could be here to rush and dash about - to be here to drink good wine, and share it with friends.

Remembrance Sunday has always been a special day in our family. My father's brother (Gerald Chapman, hence my middle name), was in the *Gloucestershire Regiment, nicknamed "The Glorious Glosters", killed in the Battle of Imjin River in the Korean War - a war not many remember unless you have a personal reason to.

This was the only war, as far as I'm aware, fought in the name of United Nations (as opposed to the many peace keeping duties where 'Blue Berets' have served since). It was an heroic struggle by the South, supported later by soldiers of the United Nations, who were completely overwhelmed when the Communist North invaded in the early hours of 20th June 1950. Only a stalemate has ever been reached after much fighting and loss of life - no peace has ever been signed and the two halves of Korea and her allies are still technically at war.

Earlier this year I visited Korea with my family. It was a truly memorable visit, and it was impossible to imagine how those brave soldiers of the Royal Glosters, and other regiments of the British Army there that day, held out for so long against such overwhelming odds. Just standing at the bottom of Gloster and Castle Hills it is impossible to imagine fighting in such inhospitable terrain, with ammunition running low and no chance of rescue.

So today, as we all pause for thought on this special day of the year, I shall be thinking back to my trip to Korea in April, and remembering the uncle I never knew but whose name I carry. 'We will remember them'.

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The Royal British Legion do amazing work for our Armed Services. Find out more here.

*The Gloucestershire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Nicknamed "The Glorious Glosters", the regiment carried more battle honours on their colours than any other British Army line regiment.

The regiment amalgamated with the Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment in 1994 to form the 1st Battalion, The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment.

In March 2005, it was announced that this regiment would merge with the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment to form the 1st Battalion, The Rifles.

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